Cigar making machine

ABSTRACT

The invention comprises a cigar making machine including two belts with means for driving same at different speeds; the slower, to feed the wrapper to the filler or bunch, and the other to roll the filler, or bunch and wrapper, plus means for stretching the wrapper and for sizing the cigar.

United States Patent 1 Van Veen 1 Jan. 2, 1973 s41 CIGAR MAKING MACHINE1,801,231 4/1931 Fitzgerald ..131/36 x 1 891 094 12/1932 Killman..131/47 [76] Inventor: Anton Van Veen, Morgan Road,

Canton Center Conn. 06019 3,225,773 12/1965 Gustavson ..131/46 X [22]Filed: Dec. 16, 1970 Primary Examiner-Aldrich F. Medbery AssistantExaminer-J. F. Pitrelli [211 App]' Attorney-E. Seward Stevens [52] US.Cl ..131/36, 131/47 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl ..A24c 1/30, A241: 5/08The invention com prlses a crgar makmg machme 1n- [58] Field of Search56 eluding two belts with means for driving same at different speeds;the slower, to feed the wrapper to the [56] Reierences Cited filler orbunch, and the other to roll the filler, or UNITED STATES PATENTS bunchand wrapper, plus means for stretching the wrapper and for s1z1ng thecrgar. 139,375 5/1873 DeForest ..131/47 1,636,922 7/1927 Noel ..l3l/47 4Claims, 14 Drawing Figures P'A'TENIEDJAN 2 ms SHEET 5 BF 5 INVENTOR.

BY 5 Wm,

#15 H free/v5 CIGAR MAKING MACHINE The invention includes novel meansfor making a plurality of types of cigars including the so-calledAmerican and European cigars. The American cigar consists of an innerfilling called a filler which is first wrapped in a sheet of tobaccocalled a binder, with a paste to hold the filler and binder together,which combination is called a bunch". The straight American cigar iscone-shaped on one end and this is done in a press. The cone-shaped endis called the head of the cigar. After the cone-shaped head is formed, aspecial spiral shaped wrapper is wrapped around the bunch to produce afinished cigar.

Many European cigars have no cone-shaped head. They are made straight ofonly a filler and binder (without a wrapper). The entire length of thebinder is pasted so that on the finished cigars they may be broken intwo or more lengths without falling apart. This cannot be done with thespiral-shaped cigar described above without using a special wrapper.

The object of my invention is to provide a cigar making machine in whicha plurality of belts are driven at different speeds to efficientlycombine a filler, binder and wrapper to make cigars, either headed orstraight.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character describedincluding adequate means for stretching the binder, the wrapper and forsizing the cigar.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character described, inwhich cigars of different shapes may be formed, and of any desiredcircumference and/or length.

A further object of my invention is to provide a machine for makingcigars in which the above and other objects may effectively be attainedas will more fully appear from the detailed specification which follows.

Practical embodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a plan view of a machine constructed in accordancewith my invention.

FIG. 2 represents an end view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 represents an end view of my invention with the pulley and crankremoved, the lock lever being down or in locked" position.

FIG. 4 shows the elements of FIG. 3 with the locked lever released, and,

FIG. 5 shows the elements of FIGS. 3 and 4 with the rollers fully open.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 3, and partly brokenaway, looking in the direction of the arrows. The crank and pulley havebeen added to this view.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 represent the operation of. FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 and areshown in diagram to illustrate the effect of the different attitudes ofthe several elements.

The schematic layout illustrating the formation of the several types ofcigars is illustrated in FIGS. 10, 11, l2, l3 and 14.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which the several parts aredenoted by the-same numerals in each FIG.:

A rectangular frame, denoted by l, carries rotatably mounted shafts 2, 3and 4. Shaft 2 is the main drive shaft on which are mounted hand crank5, drive pulley 6, gear 7 and gear 8. Shaft 3 carries gear 9 (in meshwith gear 8) and sprocket 10, through chain 11, drives sprocket 12 onshaft 4. Sprocket 12 is free to revolve on shaft 4 when clutch 13,operated by lever 14, FIG. 1, is disengaged.

Pivotaly mounted on shaft 2 is swingable frame 15 on which shaft 16 isrotatably mounted, gear 17 on shaft 16 being meshed with gear 7 on shaft2.

Roller 18 is pinned to shaft 3 by pin 19.

Roller 20 is pinned to shaft 4 by pin 21.

Roller 22 is pinned to swivel shaft 16 by pin 23.

FIG. 5 swingable frame 15 is open position, that is,

roller 22 on shaft 16 is removed from roller 18 on shaft 3. Mounted onswingable frame 15 and free to pivot on shaft 16 bell crank lock 24slides across the top of shaft 4 and further forward movement ofswingable frame 15, places roller 22 on shaft 16 directly above roller18 on shaft 3. In this position (FIG. 3), lock 24 drops down onto shaft4 and engages same thereby preventing any return movement of frame 15.

Roller 25 is pinned to shaft 4 by pin 26. Bracket 27 FIGS. 1 and 7supports shaft 28 on which is rotatably mounted roller 29. Supported byrollers 25 and 29 is a feed belt 30 on which is placed a cigar binder orwrapper, depending upon the type of cigar to be produced.

Bracket 31- FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 through shaft 32 supports swivel bracket 33with shaft 34 mounted therein on which roller 35 is free to rotate.

In the open position of rollers 18 and 22 as shown in FIG. 7, swivelbracket 33 is pulled by spring 36 against stop 37.

Loosely draped over rollers 18, 22 and 35 as shown in FIG. 7 is belt 38.Loop 39 formed by belt 38, with side plates 40 and 41, (FIG. 1), forms apocket in which the filler tobacco is placed by the operator.

All rollers are revolved at the same speed, but since the diameter ofthe binder or wrapper feed belt roller 25 is smaller than the diameterof rollera.l8 and 22, the surface speed of feed belt 30 is normallyabout 10 percent slower than that of belt 38.

Operation To set the machine for a specific cigar diameter a straightpiece of wood of the specified diameter and length is placed in loop 29.Swingable frame 15 is brought forward until lock 24 drops onto shaft 4.In this position screw 43 is adjusted down until, at the desiredposition, it stops on bracket 31 and the stop screw is locked with locknut 44. Swingable frame 15 is then returned to the extreme open position(FIGS. 5 and 7) and the piece of wood removed.

The machine is now ready to produce cigars, by first moving the feedbelt clutch lever 14 to OUT position as shown in FIG. 1 and swingableframe 15 to open position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. The machine drivethrough pulley 6 is started to revolve rollers 18 and 22, but nothinghappens to belt 38 which is loose and feed belt clutch 13 is out. Adesired amount of tobacco (filler) is placed in the predetermined pocketformed by loop 39 in belt 38 and between side plates 40 and 41. Theoperating lever 15 is then moved toward the position of FIG. 3. By sodoing, roller 22 takes up the belt slack and with roller 18 startsrevolving the filler 45. Further such movement of frame 15 closes loop39 until lock 24 drops over shaft 4. Filler 45 is confined in I belt 38,between side plates 40 and 41 and is rolled and shaped to the specificdiameter established by the wooden model.

A piece of tobacco wrapper, or binder, is then placed on feed belt 30.To make European cigars, only one piece of tobacco leaf is provided towrap around the bunch. This piece of tobacco is called the binder. Thebinder on the European cigar is usually a straight rectangular piece oftobacco spread the full length with paste. This binder, shown as 46,FIG. 9, is placed with the forward edge on the roller gap coverage 47rollers 18 and 22, in the FIG. 9 position, are spaced apart sufficientlyas to not interfere with the wrapper feed. Clutch I3 is engaged which,through chain 11 and sprockets l and 12, starts roller 25 revolving. Asroller 25 is approximately lO percent smaller in diameter than all theother rollers feed belt 30-travels slower than filler belt 38. Byplacing his hand on the hinder or wrapper 46 while it is moving forward,the operator automatically retards and thereby stretches the binder 46when it is being rolled toward and on the filler 45. In the same way,the wrapper 52 on an American cigar is automatically stretched as it isbeing applied to the filler bunch 50.

An American Cigar, (FIG. is made from a bunch and filler 50 by theforegoing method with the head, 51, preshaped as mentioned. 52 is thewrapper for this type cigar. The bunch 50 is placed in the loop 39 ofbelt 38 with the cone-shaped end, 51, overlapping the roller 22 withplate 41 being omitted. Wrapper 52 is rolled on bunch 50 and stretchedin the same manner as noted withrespect to 46. The last part of thewrapper, called the flag, 53, is for covering the tapered cone-shapedend, 51, and is manually assisted by the operator as shown in FIG. 12.FIG. 13 shows the finished cigar.

As shown in FIG. 14, 53 is a double spiral wrapper. Rolled on a straightEuropean filler with paste shown at 55 it makes a long cigar that can becut to produce two cigars.

It will be seen from the foregoing that I have provided a machinecapable of producing three types of' cigars. The three types of wrappersmay be applied as stated without adjustment, and versatility of thistion and arrangement of the several parts without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention, I do not intend to be limited to theembodiment shown and described,- except as set forth in the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

I. In a cigar making machine, the combination comprising an outer frame,a swingable frame, a plurality of shafts rotatably mounted in bothframes, means on the outer frame for driving the shafts, and meansinterconnected therewith for driving at least one of the shafts in theswingable frame, rollers mounted on a plurality'of said shafts, twoendless belts mounted on spaced sets of saidrollers, means for drivingsaid belts at different speeds, means for locking the said rollers andbelts into cooperative relationship, a movable tobacco receiving sectionin one said belt, adjustable means for determining the size of saidtobacco receiving section, means located between said rollers forguiding said wrapper furnished by another said belt to the tobaccosupply in said receiving section, whereby the rotation of the tobaccosupp y at a surface speed greater than the surface speed of the wrappercauses the latter to tightly engage and wrap the supply to form a cigar.

2. The combination, according to claim I, in which said swingable frameis mounted on a driven shaft in the main frame.

3. The combination, according to claim 1, in which said locking meanscomprises another bell crank swingably mounted on a shaft in theswingable frame and a shaft in the outer frame slidably engaged by saidbell crank in one position thereof, and releasably locked thereto inanother position.

4. Thecombination, according to claim 1, including means forpredetermining the size of the tobacco supply to be wrapped, said meansincluding a swivel bracket, and adjustable stop therein, a roller insaid frame, a belt thereon, whereby the swing of the frame controls belttension and thereby the depth of the tobacco receiving section and sideplates encompassing said receiving section.

1. In a cigar making machine, the combination comprising an outer frame,a swingable frame, a plurality of shafts rotatably mounted in bothframes, means on the outer frame for driving the shafts, and meansinterconnected therewith for driving at least one of the shafts in theswingable frame, rollers mounted on a plurality of said shafts, twoendless belts mounted on spaced sets of said rollers, means for drivingsaid belts at different speeds, means for locking the said rollers andbelts into cooperative relationship, a movable tobacco receiving sectionin one said belt, adjustable means for determining the size of saidtobacco receiving section, means located between said rollers forguiding said wrapper furnished by another said belt to the tobaccosupply in said receiving section, whereby the rotation of the tobaccosupply at a surface speed greater than the surface speed of the wrappercauses the latter to tightly engage and wrap the supply to form a cigar.2. The combination, according to claim 1, in which said swingable frameis mounted on a driven shaft in the main frame.
 3. The combination,according to claim 1, in which said locking means comprises another bellcrank swingably mounted on a shaft in the swingable frame and a shaft inthe outer frame slidably engaged by said bell crank in one positionthereof, and releasably locked thereto in another position.
 4. Thecombination, according to claim 1, including means for predeterminingthe size of the tobacco supply to be wrapped, said means including aswivel bracket, and adjustable stop therein, a roller in said frame, abelt thereon, whereby the swing of the frame controls belt tension andthereby the depth of the tobacco receiving section and side platesencompassing said receiving section.